13 Men Arrested In Sex Sting For Online Solicitation: Police

HOUSTON, TX — Law enforcement officials arrested 13 men on charges of online solicitation of a minor, officials said Wednesday.

The men arrested included a U.S. Army captain who drove from Dallas to have sex with a 13-year-old girl, and a registered sex offender who had an open warrant for another online solicitation of a minor, Constable Alan Rosen said. The online sex sting was conducted by multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Houston Police Department, the Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Harris County Pct. 1 Constables Office.

“Every one of these suspects thought they were meeting a 13- to 15-year-old boy or girl, Rosen said. "It doesn’t get sicker than that. The operational goal was to protect children and identify the people who were trying to solicit underaged people for sex.”

Investigators recently conducted the three-day sting using undercover officers as posing as young children on social media sites. The men traveled to a designated meeting place where they were promptly arrested, officials said.

Investigators said some of the men who were arrested brought condoms and alcohol for their meetings.

Capt. David Angelo, who leads the Houston Police Special Victims Division and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, asked parents to be vigilant as it relates to their children’s online activities.

“This needs to be a warning to our community and to our parents that these suspects are out there preying on our kids,” he said.

Those arrested are:

• Charles Cody Waidelich, 29, a member of the U.S. Army with the rank of Captain 38A in the civil affairs office at time of his arrest. Police said he drove from the Dallas area in the hopes of meeting with a minor. He faces 7 years of military jail time, with a $10,000 bond posted.
• Kurt Kapperman, 29, had an open warrant out of Denton County, also for online solicitation of minor. His bond on that charge was set at $70,000. Kapperman, a registered sex offender, was previously convicted of indecent exposure.
• Jesus Adrian Pinedo, 22, $10,000 bond.
• Dorian Yuphanky Iglesias Rodriguez, 26, bond $10,000.
• Mokhtar Hassan Abdalla Lemay, 39, with no bond set. He was reeased from prison in January, with convictions for DWI, Possession of controlled substance x 2, delivery of controlled substance, trespass, forgery, robbery, burglary, Unathourized Use of a Motor Vehicle and evading arrest.
• Jeffrey Scott Kaylor, 29: $10,000 bond.
• Tadeo Silva Robles, 39.$10,000 bond posted, and on an ICE hold.
• Rene Morales, 38, $10,000 bond not posted, with an ICE hold.
• Victor Gutierrez, 38, $10,000 bond.
• MHD Mamoun Alsbiei, 24, $10,000 bond.
• Jose Marcos Tamez, 45, $10,000 bond.
• Christopher Michael Delgado, 31., $10,000 bond.
• Jonathan Elliott, 36, $20,000 bond.

One of the men arrested was a registered sex offender wanted out of Denton on an outstanding warrant for online solicitation of a minor and had at least 18 previous arrests, Angelo said. Johna Stallings, Harris County’s chief prosecutor for human trafficking and child exploitation, said the DA’s office is working on building a case against the offenders, as noted in a press briefing.

“It is the DA’s office position that these predators need to stand trial, if necessary,” Stallings said. “We are prepared to go 110 percent to make sure they are aggressively prosecuted.”

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